Patate al Forno is a staple of Sunday lunch in Italy. The secret to the perfect Italian roasted potato is parboiling them first to create a starchy surface, then roasting them with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, whole garlic cloves, and fresh rosemary. This results in a potato that is incredibly crunchy on the outside while remaining fluffy and light on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1kg potatoes
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (leaves stripped and roughly chopped)
- 4 whole garlic cloves (peeled and lightly smashed)
- 10g sea salt (coarse salt works best here)
- 2g freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pinch of chili flakes (optional, for a tiny kick)
Cooking Instructions
- Prep the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into uniform chunks, roughly 3-4cm in size.
- Parboil: Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for exactly 5–7 minutes. You want them softened on the edges but still firm in the center.
- Rough them up: Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them steam-dry for a minute. Give the colander a vigorous shake; this "scuffs" the edges of the potatoes, which is the secret to maximum crunch.
- Preheat: While the potatoes dry, preheat your oven to 200°C. Place a large roasting tray inside to get hot.
- Season: In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, smashed garlic, salt, and pepper until every piece is well-coated.
- Roast: Carefully spread the potatoes onto the hot roasting tray in a single layer. Do not crowd them, or they will steam instead of crisping up.
- Flip: Roast for 45-50 minutes. Halfway through (at the 25-minute mark), use a spatula to turn the potatoes so they brown evenly on all sides.
- Serve: Remove from the oven when they are deep golden brown and sounding "hollow" and crunchy when tapped. Serve immediately while piping hot alongside your main meal.